Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 May 2021
719. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health the reason Israel was included in the countries from which travel required mandatory hotel quarantine in spite of its vaccination record and low transmission figure. [23786/21]
View answer839. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health the criteria that will be used to adjudicate if a country should remain on the mandatory hotel quarantine list particularly EU member states; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24322/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 719 and 839 together.
States are designated under the Health Act 1947 by the Minister for Health following consultation with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and across Government as necessary.
An Expert Advisory Group on Travel to the CMO (EAGT) was established on 1 March 2021 to develop a method of risk assessing countries and to consider broader issues of travel and COVID-19. The Group has developed an approach to risk assessments in keeping with guidance of the WHO and ECDC and which is aligned to the legislative framework in place for mandatory quarantine. The approach is reviewed on a regular basis and currently recommends prioritisation of mandatory quarantine as follows:
- Countries with prevalence or suspected prevalence of known variants of concern/ variants of interest.
- Countries with a very high 14-day incidence (500/100,000).
- Countries with a high 14-day incidence (greater than 2.5 times Ireland’s 14-day incidence but <500/100,000).
Epidemiological data is reviewed, at a minimum, on a weekly basis. Recommendations for addition to the list of Designated States are made every two weeks, and recommendations for revocation of countries as Designated States are made weekly. The Chief Medical Officer considers these recommendations and in turn makes recommendations to the Minister for Health who forms his own opinion with respect to the designation of individual states.
